Sink construction



April 9, 1968 1.. o. FREY 3,376,583

' SINK CONSTRUCTION I Filed May 24, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v INVENTOR. BY 05% O. 6% SW M A T TORNE vs.

April 9, 1968 o. FREY 3,376,583

SINK CONSTRUCTION Filed May 24, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

A T TOFYNEV5 United States Patent 3,376,583 SINK CONSTRUCTION Louis 0. Frey, Wayne, Pa., assignor to Air Control, Inc., Norristown, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed May 24, 1965, Ser. No. 458,035 3 Claims. (Cl. 4-487) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Sink for handling chemical baths. Fume control means including a downwardly directed opening which leads from the sink to a chamber which in turn is connected to an exhaust system. Vapor condenses in the chamber and is collected and drained out through a drain valve.

This invention relates to improvements in sink construction and more particularly to a sink used for chemical solutions of the type which tend to give off noxious or irritating fumes.

While not limited thereto, sinks formed in accordance with this invention are particularly useful for chemical baths of the type used to remove scale, flakes, or other Surface impurities from metallic elements, and also for various etching, plating or coating baths for metal parts.

In the past the noxious fumes given off by such baths have had to be drawn off from the surface of the bath by means of large exhaust hoods placed over the table on which the sink is located. The hoods draw a large volume of air upwardly out of the surrounding area, along with the fumes from the bath.

A chief drawback of this arrangement lies in this drawing off of a large volume of air from the area surrounding the bath. This creates quite troublesome problems in areas in modern plants where it is desirable to control temperature, humidity and other atmospheric conditions. The hood-type exhaust system may seriously overload equipment used for such purposes and at best makes atmosphere control a much more diflicult and expensive task. Moreover, since the fumes are drawn upwardly, workmen leaning over the bath may accidently inhale them. This often leads to sickness and may in time prove fatal with some of the more toxic baths.

With the foregoing in view, a primary object of the present invention is the provision of a form of sink construction having means for drawing off noxious vapors from a sink, in a manner which oflers little or no interference with the building air control system.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a sink having means drawing ofI noxious fumes, in which the entire unit is adapted for counter top installation.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of an extremely etficient form of chemical bath apparatus which protects workmen and attendants from the toxic vapors which arise from such baths.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a simplified form of exhaust system for a chemical bath which is extremely dependable and economical to manufacture.

The foregoing and various other objects of the invention are achieved by a sink which includes a basin for receiving the chemical solution, the basin being surrounded by a shell which is spaced therefrom to form a substantially enclosed chamber. A relatively narrow opening around the top edge of the basin leads to the enclosed chamber. A conduit extends from the chamber to an exhaust fan which draws vapors through the opening into the chamber and finally to atmosphere at a remote point, usually outside of the building in which the sink is located.

How these objects are achieved will become clearly apparent upon reference to the following detailed description when taken in light of the accompanying drawings of an illustrative embodiment of the invention, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a typical counter provided with a sink constructed according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a sink formed according to the invention; and

FIGURE 3 is a view, partly in section, of an elevational view of the sink of FIGURE 2, the section being taken along section line 33 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now in more detail to the drawings, in FIG- URE 1 a sink 10 formed in accordance with the principles of the invention, is shown mounted in the top of a counter 11. A hood 12, housing conventional atmospheric control equipment, not shown, may be mounted over the counter 11 in order to regulate air conditions around the sink 10.

Referring now to FIGURES 2 and 3, the sink comprises a basin 13 having a bottom wall 14 and peripheral side walls 15, the basin being adapted to hold a chemical bath. The basin 13 is formed of a material which is resistant to attack by the particular solutions comprising the bath. For instance, a typical basin material would be a propylene plastic due to its resistance to attack by most acid baths. Other typical materials would be acrylic plastic or stainless steel, the latter being particularly useful for trichloroethylene or similar hydrocarbon baths. In the illustrative form of the invention, the basin is formed of polymethyl methacrylate sheet, this material being stable in the presence of moderate concentrations of most acids and bases.

Basin 13 is surrounded by a shell 16. The shell is spaced from the basin slightly in order to provide a substantially closed chamber 17 around the outside of the basin walls. Supporting posts 18 position and support the basin within the chamber. The shell is generally made of the same material as the basin.

A laterally extending flange 19 is secured to the top of the shell. The outer, overhanging portion of flange 19, provides a means for flush mounting the sink in a countertop. This edge may be beveled slightly, or the flange may be seated in a shallow recess if desired. The inner portion extends laterally inwardly over the top of the basin side walls and is provided with a downwardly extending lip 20. The lip 20 terminates somewhat below the upper edge of the basin side walls 15.

The lip and the basin side walls are spaced apart to form a relatively narrow opening from the basin 13 into the chamber 17. The purposes of this opening will be explained more fully hereinafter.

A relative large duct or conduit 21 is connected to the chamber 17, preferably substantially at the center of the bottom of the shell 16. Conduit 21 leads to an exhaust fan 22, typically of the centrifugal type. The fan conveys the fumes through further ducting, from whence it is conveyed to a point outside of the building which houses the sink structure.

A drain 23 is connected to the bottom of the basin 13 and extends downwardly through the shell 16. The drain is preferably provided with a manually operable valve 24. A bypass line 25 is connected to the shell 16 and joins the drain 23 at a point downstream from the valve 24.

In operation, the fan 22 is turned on and the sink is filled with the selected chemical solution. The fan creates a relatively high velocity, low pressure stream of air through the opening formed by the lip 20 and the basin side walls 15. Due to the size and form of this opening, the air drawn in follows a tortuous path in order to reach the chamber 17, and the result is that the air flows down and sweeps over the surface of the basin 13 as is indicated by the arrows 26 before it is drawn upwardly through the opening to the chamber. The relatively small opening contributes to the drawing effect by creating a high velocity, low pressure condition at the point of entry to the chamber. Substantially all fumes are drawn out through this opening into the chamber and through the conduit 21 to atmosphere.

In the event any of the solution splashes into the chamber 17, the auxiliary drain 25 provides a line through which this can pass to the main drain 23, even though the valve 24 is closed. Drain 23 typically leads to a suitable container housed beneath the counter 11. At the end of treatment operation, the basin may be drained by opening the valve 24.

The invention provides an extremely efficient means of removing the toxic vapors from acids or other noxious chemical solutions. In use, it has been found that practically none of the vapors escape to atmosphere. The invention is extremely simple, is well adapted to be mounted flush in the top of a counter and eliminates the need for cumbersome exhaust hoods. Its use avoids many of the problems of atmosphere control which are caused by such hoods.

I claim:

1. In a sink for handling chemical baths, the combination of a basin having a bottom wall and a peripheral sidewall; a shell surrounding said basin and spaced therefrom to form a substantially enclosed chamber; a narrow opening extending around the peripheral sidewall of the basin near the top thereof connecting the basin with the chamber, said opening facing downwardly within the confines of the basin and facing toward the bottom thereof and further being relatively small with respect to the volumes of the chamber and the basin; and an exhaust fan and a conduit connected to said chamber and associated with said fan for drawing ofi vapors from said chamber.

4 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, further including a drain for said basin extending downwardly through said shell, a valve in said drain;

an auxiliary drain for said shell, said auxiliary drain being connected to said basin drain at a point downstream from said valve.

3. In a sink structure, the combination of a basin hav- 1 ing a bottom wall and peripheral sidewall for holding a chemical bath; an outer shell surrounding said basin and spaced therefrom thereby forming a substantially enclosed chamber; exhaust means connected to said chamber for creating an air flow from said basin through said chamber to draw off vapors arising from the chemical bath in the basin; a flange on said outer shell spaced above and extending over said peripheral sidewall, said flange having a lip extending downwardly into the basin, said lip terminating below the top of the peripheral wall of the basin thereby creating a downwardly facing opening whereby the air drawn from the basin into the chamber follows a tortuous path, the opening from the basin into the chamber being the area of smallest cross section of the flow path.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,173,520 2/1916 Hunter 42l7 1,213,113 1/1917 Lange 4-217 1,896,951 2/1933 Hahn 98115 1,955,579 4/1934 De Malaussene 4213 2,126,131 8/1938 Orebaugh 4-213 2,539,464 1/1951 Norquist 4187 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,213,132 10/1952 France.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

D. MASSENBERG, Assistant Examiner. 

